and honoring the lives lost. the 12 faces. tonight, the stories. the beautiful girl with ice cream. and the patient who thought he lost his best friend in the theater and the phone call he got in the hospital room. good evening again tonight from aurora, colorado. as we come on the air this evening, president obama has just arrived to meet the survivors of the deadly rampage of the movie theater behind me. he is here to console those wrestling with their grief. as residents of the community pay tribute to the victims with makeshift shrines. tonight, we are seeing and hearing video of the suspect, the videos and the photographs emerging showing holmes after his high school graduation. and the material from the suspect's booby trapped apartment. taken to a field and detonated. and investigators trying to see

what he had. we are also obtaining the fullest picture yet of the 12 lives lost. the 6-year-old give who loved her ice cream and the navy sailor seen hiking in the mountains. our team is on the story from colorado to washington covering it all. first, the exclusive look at the video of the alleged gunman. tonight, the first video yet of the alleged gunman, james holmes. >> hello, i'm james. >> reporter: abc news has video of the suspected shooter recorded six years ago when holmes was 18 at a summer science camp at a college in san diego. he is seen here standing in front of his peers talking about what are called temporal illusions. the science behind changing your past. >> i have been working with temporal illusion. it allows to you change the past. >> reporter: he appears to be nervous here. but also appears to be a smart teenager with promise. the speaker introducing him, describing him this way. >> his goal is to make scientific discoveries. a good start.

in personal life, he enjoys soccer and strategy games. and his dream is to own a slurpee machine. >> reporter: and here, he talks about video games. >> gamers might feel they have a super power and might let them have more fun. >> reporter: meantime, we are learning more about the shooting suspect in more recent time. in just the last month, reportedly applying online to join a colorado gun range, trying to become a member. the owner allegedly became concerned about the suspect after calling the house and hearing a message that he told the ap he found bizarre, freakish at best. and tonight, police chief dan oat essays they are investigating this. no question your team will talk to the guy who said there is behavior that set up a red flag? >> we will chase down everybody this guy had contact with. i mean that is -- we will be as thorough as we will be. >> reporter: chief oates

also describing the scene at the gunman's apartment. the delicate task for his team. and breaking through the traps. you had never seen anything like >> never seen anything like that. >> reporter: trip wires? >> as explained to me, one you could see with a trip wire, involved mixing two chemicals to start an event. and the other was an electronic triggering device that had to be blown up. by the bomb experts to be deactivated. that was the boom you heard yesterday. >> reporter: and today, new pictures of the colorado field where they detonated what was found in that apartment as they tried to determine what kind of materials he had gathered there. now, the police chief preparing for the vigil this evening. his own teenage daughter was at a showing of batman at a theater across town. >> my wife was checking on my daughter. made sure that she was okay. >> reporter: have you seen her? >> yeah, oh, yes. we had big hugs. >> reporter: hugging his

daughter, the police chief one on one with us late here today. we have been reporting on the lives lost. the youngest, of victims, 6 years old. tonight, who they were and the loved ones they leave behind. cecil cecilia vega is here with more. good evening to you. >> reporter: david, good evening to you. the president will be speaking with the families. the identities and stories now known. there are so many faces, so many stories. lives lost simply because they went to see a movie. the oldest, 51, gordon cowden. a real estate appraiser who took his two teens with him that night. they escaped. the youngest victim, 6 years old, veronica moser-sullivan. her mother shot in the neck, clings to life. yesterday, her family broke the news about what happened to her daughter. >> she was a wonderful little girl. sad she had to have life taken

away so early. >> reporter: there are stories of courage. people who lost lives by saving others. jon blunk threw his girlfriend on the floor to shield her from the gun fire. matt mcquinn dove on his girlfriend and took the bullet instead. >> matt did what a man's supposed to do. you protect the ones you love, no matter what the cost. >> reporter: alex teves had just finished grad school. he wanted to be a physical therapist. a.j. boik with dreams to be a art teacher. alex sullivan had plans too. he turned 27 on friday. posting on facebook, going to be the best birthday ever. hours later, friends frantic. let us know you're okay. then this. oh, my gosh, was he there. micayla medek was there too. friends called her cayla. she worked as a sandwich maker. rebecca wingo was a mother of two. she spend 11 years in the air force. was fluent in mandarin and worked as a translator. jesse childress also in the air

force, a reservist, he died a hero, diving in front of a friend, a female service member. >> he was a guy you want on your team. >> reporter: john larimer leapt over a seat to save his girlfriend. and there is one story that seems to defy the odds. a story with a lesson for all of us. jessica ghawi, a sports journalists, a few weeks ago, ironically escaped another mass shooting in a toronto mall. >> she had an epiphany at that moment that it could happen to any of us at any time. and instead of being afraid of that, she embraced life more fully. >> reporter: so many of these victims were just starting out in life. most of them for only in their 20s, just out for a night of fun. and sadly for their families,

the next chapter begins with planning their funerals. >> so many faces to remember here. the vigil planned here tonight. thank you. we are going now to the investigation. pierre thomas is reporting on the weapons and the bullets. the four guns, 6,000 rounds of ammunition. tonight, he has confirmed the semiautomatic assault rifle jammed in the attack. the question now, could the rampage have been far worse? here is pierre's report. >> reporter: the plan to massacre the crowds in a movie was unfolding flawlessly. there was fear and chaos as james holmes fired again and again with an assault rifle, and a gun magazine holding 100 rounds. sources tell abc news the smith and wesson high powered rifle jammed. the carnage could have been worse. more people survived, in part, sources say, because holmes was

probably squeezing the trigger to quickly, the magazine malfunctioned. holmes was ready for war, also armed with a tactical shotgun. and abc news learned the pistol police recovered in the theater had an extended 40-round clip. police are urgently seeking a motive and may have gotten a critical break in the case. authorities recovered a computer from the booby trapped apartment and sources tell us more evidence of his batman obsession. abc news learned police discovered a variety of batman paraphernalia including a poster and a mask from the comic book series. i'm struck at how many sources appear stunned at the cold blooded fury. >> pierre thomas, in washington, thank you. abc news has learned the suspect might have sought mental health counselling. and tonight hire, abc's david wright with more on that and the clues this evening on the suspect's past. >> the processing channels are

set up or slow down. >> reporter: how could a smart phd candidate morph into a mass murderer? authorities here are trying to answer that question. we want to show you this video. so we showed the video to the aurora police psychologist. >> rock, paper, scissors is a professional sport. >> one thing, he is very bright person. articulate. he is organized in his thoughts. very smart, very smart. >> reporter: he said all the booby traps, the stock pile of weapons, suggests he didn't have the a sudden break from reality. >> he didn't snap. this is what we call a proactive attack behavior. >> reporter: this is premeditated. >> yeah, he thought it through. planned it. and the weapons of choice. >> reporter: also this is no suicide mission. >> he didn't act like he wanted to die. >> reporter: how so? >> well, you have enough protective gear and then he surrenders right away. >> reporter: others agree it's

unusual. at columbine and virginia tech, the pattern was different. >> there are often is -- are two phases. the first is murder and the second is suicide. >> reporter: in this one, the second act was more killing. what was on his mind? >> we may never know. >> you never get a sufficient answer. >> reporter: the police pie cold gist, whose exper tis goes all the way back to columbine, says only the shooter knows for sure. and for now, he is not saying. david? >> david wright also in colorado. thank you. it was last night here that we reported on an emerging conversation about gun violence in america and what has been done since columbine. our reporting found that in this case, everything the suspect did to acquire his arsenal was legal. and tonight, the poll on americans on gun control might reveal why it was so easy for him to gather it all. here tonight, abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: america is once

again confronting its long love affair with guns. but in a country where gun dealers outnumber mcdonald's restaurants 9 to 1, consensus is a moving target. this latest massacre is reigniting the debate between gun control advocates and those who think that more guns -- >> everyone can own fire arms. >> reporter: -- equals safety. >> you have to take him. it's that simple. if you're there and the guy is going to create a crime, he is going to hurt people, someone needs to stop him. >> reporter: on the campaign trail there is zero appetite for new gun laws. from president obama or mitt romney. >> i will protect the second amendment. i have guns myself. >> reporter: who as massachusetts governor once signed an assault weapons ban. >> it's an enormous problem for the country. and it's up to the two presidential candidates. >> reporter: but a majority of the americans feel that enforcing existing gun laws is better option than passing new ones. and colorado's governor today said that even the toughest gun laws would have made little difference here.

>> this guy was diabolical. he would have found explosive, something else, a poisonous gas to create this horror. >> reporter: tom still wears the shoes his son daniel had on the day he was murdered at columbine high school. he points out the federal ban would have outlawed the rifle james holmes used in the attack. >> it's not the rifle. it's the magazines that can hold 30, 50, 100 rounds that make it easy for people like this. >> reporter: that assault weapons ban expired in 2004. and despite the latest mass shooting, there is little political will on either side to bring it back. david? >> clayton sandell, thanks to you. and a number we took note of late today. the box office results are in tonight. millions of americans determined to send a message to go see the premiere of batman anyway. that the act of violence would not stop them. an estimated $162 million in tickets sold this weekend, considered a very strong opening for a movie.

a message sent that the gunman would not stop americans from going to the movies. still ahead, some of the other news of the day, new turmoil at penn state. the university removing a symbol of joe paterno and braces for stiff penalties from the ncaa. and here in colorado, the best friends, both shot in the movie theater not knowing if the other survived. tonight, the phone call in that hospital room. has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment. and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues... but that doesn't mean our job is done. we're still committed to seeing this through.

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we're going to turn now to other news this sunday night. and a major headline from penn state this evening. the ncaa is about to hand down penalties against the football program as the university literally takes down a legacy of coach joe paterno. here tonight, david kerley. >> reporter: behind a blue tarp of shame, the statue of paterno, who built powerhouse penn state, was covered in plastic and hauled away as the university deals with the stain of scandal. >> we are letting the haters run the university. >> to a lot of people, it symbolizes the wrong things. >> reporter: that is what the new university president said -- that leaving the statue would be "a recurring wound," "an obstacle to healing" and "a lightning rod of controversy." when joe paterno died -- why did you feel compelled to come to the statue? we watched as the statue became the gathering place to mourn. but that was before the revelations -- that paterno had been told years earlier that his defensive coach jerry sandusky was sexually assaulting boys. but even though she voted to

convict sandusky, one of the jurors says the statue should have stayed. >> so why are we taking something down, and we don't have all 100% of the facts? >> reporter: all this, just 24 hours before penn state's football program is hit by what many are calling extraordinary corrective and punitive measures. our sister network espn has learned that penn state is expected to be banned from bowl games for more than one year, lose several scholarships, a strong message from the head of the ncaa. >> he wants everybody to understand that in extraordinary situations such as this, where egregious failure to action took place, that he will step up, that he will make a decision that lets everyone understand that penn state situation can never happen again. >> reporter: these penalties are remarkable because the ncaa doesn't have rules to deal with what happened at penn state, the cover-up of sex abuse crimes.

so the authority of the ncaa asked for power so they can crack down on penn state. david? >> david kerley, thank you. we appreciate it. an amazing sight from phoenix tonight. the dust storm that swallowed the ci. [ feedback ] attention, well, everyone.

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government forces took over neighborhoods. the battle signals a new bloody phase in the fighting there. human rights says it could be the deadly attack yet in the uprising. there is a new investigation tonight the at nuclear plant in japan. the g. is looking into reports that the contractors at fukushima were told to under report their radiation so they could stay on the job longer. and back here in this country, a huge dust storm in arizona. take a look at the images. a towering wall of dirt and dust, covering phoenix like a blanket for two hours. it blinded drivers, knocked out power and grounded flights at the international airport. when we come back, the buddies at the batman premiere both shot inside the theater. tonight, the phone call between two hospitals here in aurora. tonight, the phone call between two hospitals here in aurora. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem.

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he told us about a phone call that has been the biggest blessing of all. good to meet you. how you feeling? >> good, good. >> reporter: carey rottman was in that movie theater with his best friend, pierce, when the horror unfolded. so to say the two have been there for each other would be an under statement. when carey got married just three weeks ago, it was pierce who performed the ceremony. just a few weeks later, the two friends were back together in that theater, his friend pierce hit first. >> then i got down, put my arm over him and around him, and we kind of tried to huddle as close as we could and get as low as we could under the seats. and at that point, he told me, he was like, i got hit, i got hit. >> reporter: holding his friend, carey then gets shot too. >> i'm like, pierce, i got shot. i'm hit. we were just -- i don't know. we were down there praying. >> reporter: praying, then, the firing stops -- the gunman reloading. >> so full of adrenaline, i thought this is our chance to get out, let's go. pierce, pierce, let's go, let's go.

>> reporter: he tugged at his friend. trying to get him to move. he was motionless. bleeding himself, carey knew he had to get out. he knew he had to leave the friend he thought he'd just lost. >> the worst part for me was thinking my buddy had passed away. i mean, he just married my wife and i three weeks ago. >> reporter: racg to the hospital, he called that new wife. when did you get the call? >> right away, i think he called me in the cop car, so i came right away. >> reporter: he told her he thought pierce didn't make it, and that new wife got to work, trying to find pierce. she did. at university hospital across town, she got him on the phone. what was it like to hear your buddy's voice for the first time? >> it was great. i get choked up talking about it now. he is obviously a great friend of ours. to ask him to marry my wife and i. especially to go from hours thinking you might have possibly left him there and he is gone at that point, to hearing his voice. >> reporter: we sent our camera across town, and there he was. remembering his best friend who tried to get him off that floor.

>> i was just praying. my face was flat down on the ground. my buddy started shaking me saying, get up, pierce, we got to go. he thought that i had died. >> reporter: that phone call from hospital to hospital, he will never forget. >> it was great to hear his voice. we were both like -- wish you were here. >> reporter: the story of two friends who prayed together on that floor and survived. >> and we'll be recovering together, that's for sure. >> reporter: incredible. pierce marrying carey and his wife three weeks ago and enduring this. incredible bond. that is "world news" for this sunday night. i will be reporting tomorrow morning for "good morning america." the entire gma team on this. and diane sawyer back in the anchor chair tomorrow night. from all of us at abc news, good night from colorado. chair tomorrow night. from all of us at abc news, good night from colorado.

a vigil is underway in aurora, colorado to remember the victims of friday's deadly shooting. i'm alan wang. ama daetz is on assignment and will join is live from colorado in a few minutes. here's the latest. president obama is in aurora today to meet with families of those gunned down. the president finished speaking moments ago. >> the reason stories like this have an impact on us is because we can all understand what it would be to have somebody that we love, taken from us in this fashion. >> alan: he spent three hours meeting with victims' families and also got updates from state

and local officials. the latest. police finished collecting evidence but the building still remains closed to residents. an fbi behavior specialist is involved in the investigation. the suspect, james holmes, will appear in court tomorrow. and tonight, people in aurora are gathering for a vigil in honor of the victims. you're looking at live pictures of the vigil right now at thousands have gathered to remember those who died and 58 others who were injured in the shooting friday morning. loved ones have been stepping up one-by-one to place remembrances at the memorial in honor of the victims. ama daetz is live. >> ama: you cannot keep the people away from the scene of this tragedy tonight. just take a look behind me. they're come big the carload, bricking flowers, stuffed animals, balloons, lots of things to remember these victims. one man brought something a little d